NATCHEZ &8212; Patients airlifted to Natchez Regional will soon be getting assistance about 20 minutes faster.

The county is accepting bids next month for construction of a helipad behind the hospital. Currently, helicopters transporting patients must land at the Natchez-Adams County Airport &8212; 18 miles away &8212; and transport by ambulance.

&8220;We haven&8217;t really been able to serve the community well,&8221; Regional CEO Jeffrey Wesselman said.

In fact, Regional has been put on the diversion list at the University Medical Center, and most transports will opt for other hospitals, he said.

In past years, helicopters transporting to the hospital could land across the street &8212; where Walgreens now is &8212; or in the lot next door &8212; which is also too developed for safety now.

The county applied for a Community Development Block Grant about a year ago to fund a helipad, but that application was denied, Board of Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said.

Then Regional inquired about funding through the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

The project received a portion of $3.4 million MDOT is distributing across the state through grants.

The Airport Commission is accepting the bids, Chairman Claiborne Hollis said, but the helipad will be operated by the hospital.

Hollis said there was no timetable for construction, but Wesselman said he hopes the project can be complete by the end of July.

Grennell said transporting patients first to the county airport, then to the hospital was unacceptable.

&8220;This is long overdue,&8221; Grennell said. &8220;It&8217;s definitely needed.&8221;